Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 11: A shocking case of a teen-aged athlete being sexually abused by more than 60 people at different occasions and different places for the last five years has come to light after the Kerala police launched an investigation and has filed several FIRs.
The men included the coaches of the girl, now 18, and hails from Pathanamthitta district, and her fellow sportspersons against whom four FIRs were filed by the police in Kerala on Friday and at least 15 people were also arrested.
According to Pathanamthitta Superintendent of Police V G Vinod Kumar, the cases have been registered in two police stations. “In one case we arrested five people, and a lone accused in another case. More cases will be registered after verifying details. A deputy superintendent of police is heading the probe,” he said.
The alleged incident came to light when volunteers of the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society met the girl, a district-level athlete, during a random field visit, after the victim’s teachers at an educational institution informed the panel about noticeable changes in her behaviour. The committee subsequently notified the police, who initiated an investigation.
Advocate N Rajeev, who heads the Pathanamthitta CWC, said the matter came up before the committee 15 days ago. “I told the girl to report before the committee along with her mother. She was given counselling and she opened up before a psychologist, narrating the sexual abuse she has been facing since the age of 13.”
He said the girl’s family was unaware of the alleged sexual abuse over the years. “She hadn’t shared anything with the mother. Since the girl is a district-level athlete, she has attended various sports camps over the years. That situation might have facilitated this series of sexual abuse,” he added.
The arrests were made based on the statement of the girl and the police said they received evidence indicating that the girl was exploited by individuals including her coaches, fellow athletes, and classmates.
As per the statement of the girl, she had used her father’s mobile phone to communicate with the suspects and 40 persons have been identified by verifying the phone details and the information from the diary in her possession, police sources said.
“She used the mobile phone of her father, an alcoholic. Most of the perpetrators were identified from the list of contacts in the mobile phone. Many numbers were found saved in it,” Rajeev said. “Psychologists with the Nirbhaya scheme spoke to her to ascertain the credibility of her claims. They also examined her father’s mobile phone to find out the names of the alleged abusers. Once the probe progresses, the chances of involvement of more people cannot be ruled out,” he said, adding, “The girl has been shifted to a shelter under the CWC, considering her protection.”
According to the survivor, she started facing abuse at the age of 13 when her neighbour forcibly tried to show her pornographic videos. The girl was then abused by the accused at an isolated hill close to their house and later was also raped by his friends.
In the preliminary investigations, at least 62 men have been identified as potential perpetrators and the cases have been registered against 40 men under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police have arrested five men, identified as Subin, S Sandeep, VK Vineeth, K Anandu, and Srini.
The CWC and the police are working together to ensure that necessary support and protection are given to the survivor. The victim has been shifted to a shelter home. Although the Elavumthitta Police Station has registered the case, the officers from other stations will be investigating it since the number of accused is high.
As the incidents occurred when she was a minor, sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, also would be invoked against the accused, a top police official said.
The Pathanamthitta CWC stated that individuals outside the Pathanamthitta district might also be involved in the case. According to the CWC chairman, the girl had been a victim of sexual exploitation since the age of 13 and as it was an unusual case, she was referred to a psychologist for more in-depth counselling.
